Daily News: Tuesday 1/23/18

Ford Conducts Study on Daily Driving a Sports Car Impact on Happiness

Ford, as part of the EU-funded ADAS&ME project, are busy investigating how interacting with a modern car, and all of the technology contained within, impacts our day-to-day happiness. Ford is focusing on how to purposefully improve happiness, and in this quest, have begun measuring various driver’s levels of happiness when driving a multitude of cars.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Ford has discovered that driving a sports car on a daily basis can markedly improve happiness levels. The study measures driver’s ‘buzz moments’, or moments when a peak thrill plays a role in overall happiness. As a baseline, Ford uses various examples; including riding a rollercoaster, which provides 3 of these moments, or watching a successful football game, which provides 1.5 moments.

Ford has found that driving in a spirited manner brings 2.1 buzz moments, the second highest of the study. To visually demonstrate these emotions, Ford has partnered with Designworks to create what they call the ‘Buzz Car’.

This car is a Focus RS, and is equipped with an ’emotional AI’, which measures drivers emotions as they drive. The AI then uses the onboard gaming PC to render these emotions in colors and lights along the exterior of the car, using 82 display panels, and numerous light strips. The video above shows this vehicle in use.

As someone who drives a fun car everyday, a Fiesta ST, I cannot agree with this study anymore than I already do. Driving my Fiesta certainly puts a smile on my face at least once. I would be a much more sad person were I in a Corolla or something plain-Jane.